UCLA women’s basketball advances to Sweet 16 with rout over Creighton

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UCLA’s bench encourages Japreece Dean’s successful shot to fall in for a 3-pointer in the second round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship at Pauley Pavilion in Westwood on Monday, March 19, 2018. UCLA won 86-64. (Photo by Scott Varley, Contributing Photographer)

UCLA’s Japreece Dean puts up a shot in the second round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship at Pauley Pavilion in Westwood on Monday, March 19, 2018. (Photo by Scott Varley, Contributing Photographer)

UCLA’s Jordin Canada passes the ball off as she falls in front of Creighton’s Audrey Faber in the second round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship at Pauley Pavilion in Westwood on Monday, March 19, 2018. (Photo by Scott Varley, Contributing Photographer)

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UCLA’s Jordin Canada passes the ball to a teammate after stealing it from Creighton’s Temi Carda in the second round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship at Pauley Pavilion in Westwood on Monday, March 19, 2018. (Photo by Scott Varley, Contributing Photographer)

UCLA’s Jordin Canada passes the ball to a teammate after stealing it from Creighton’s Temi Carda in the second round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship at Pauley Pavilion in Westwood on Monday, March 19, 2018. (Photo by Scott Varley, Contributing Photographer)

UCLA’s Monique Billings heads up the court after forcing a turnover in the second round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship at Pauley Pavilion in Westwood on Monday, March 19, 2018. (Photo by Scott Varley, Contributing Photographer)

UCLA celebrates their win over Creighton in the second round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship at Pauley Pavilion in Westwood on Monday, March 19, 2018. UCLA won 86-64. (Photo by Scott Varley, Contributing Photographer)

UCLA’s Monique Billings, left, and Kennedy Burke box out Creighton’s Audrey Faber on a rebound in the second round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship at Pauley Pavilion in Westwood on Monday, March 19, 2018. UCLA won 86-64. (Photo by Scott Varley, Contributing Photographer)

UCLA’s Jordin Canada steals the ball from Creighton’s Temi Carda in the second round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship at Pauley Pavilion in Westwood on Monday, March 19, 2018. (Photo by Scott Varley, Contributing Photographer)

UCLA’s Monique Billings sinks a short jumper in the second round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship at Pauley Pavilion in Westwood on Monday, March 19, 2018. (Photo by Scott Varley, Contributing Photographer)

UCLA’s Chrissy Baird celebrates a 3-pointer in the second round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship at Pauley Pavilion in Westwood on Monday, March 19, 2018. UCLA won 86-64. (Photo by Scott Varley, Contributing Photographer)

UCLA’s Japreece Dean celebrates one of her 3-pointers in the second round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship at Pauley Pavilion in Westwood on Monday, March 19, 2018. UCLA won 86-64. (Photo by Scott Varley, Contributing Photographer)

UCLA cheerleaders perform in the second round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship at Pauley Pavilion in Westwood on Monday, March 19, 2018. UCLA won 86-64. (Photo by Scott Varley, Contributing Photographer)

UCLA coach Cori Close and Michaela Onyenwere, left, congratulate Monique Billings as she comes out of the game in the second round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship at Pauley Pavilion in Westwood on Monday, March 19, 2018. UCLA won 86-64. (Photo by Scott Varley, Contributing Photographer)

UCLA’s Michaela Onyenwere guards Creighton’s Temi Carda in the second round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship at Pauley Pavilion in Westwood on Monday, March 19, 2018. (Photo by Scott Varley, Contributing Photographer)

UCLA coach Cori Close chats with Lajahna Drummer as she comes out of the game in the second round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship at Pauley Pavilion in Westwood on Monday, March 19, 2018. (Photo by Scott Varley, Contributing Photographer)

UCLA coach Cori Close talks with her players during a timeout in the second round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship at Pauley Pavilion in Westwood on Monday, March 19, 2018. (Photo by Scott Varley, Contributing Photographer)

Creighton’s Bailey Norby loses the ball to UCLA’s Japreece Dean in the second round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship at Pauley Pavilion in Westwood on Monday, March 19, 2018. (Photo by Scott Varley, Contributing Photographer)

UCLA’s Kelli Hayes guards Creighton’s Temi Carda up the court in the second round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship at Pauley Pavilion in Westwood on Monday, March 19, 2018. (Photo by Scott Varley, Contributing Photographer)

UCLA’s drains a 3-pointer in the second round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship at Pauley Pavilion in Westwood on Monday, March 19, 2018. (Photo by Scott Varley, Contributing Photographer)

UCLA’s bench encourages Japreece Dean’s successful shot to fall in for a 3-pointer in the second round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship at Pauley Pavilion in Westwood on Monday, March 19, 2018. UCLA won 86-64. (Photo by Scott Varley, Contributing Photographer)

LOS ANGELES — Jordin Canada came off the court with the UCLA women’s basketball team holding a 24-point lead over Creighton and less than four minutes separating the senior from her third straight Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

The crowd saluted the stellar point guard, who was playing in her final game at Pauley Pavilion, with a standing ovation, thinking that it would be her last time coming off the storied court.

But 90 seconds later, Canada and fellow senior Monique Billings came back in, a gesture from head coach Cori Close to have all three seniors — Canada, Billings and guard Kelli Hayes — leave the court together one last time. The crowd rose again and showered applause on the trio.

After leading the No. 3-seeded Bruins to an 86-64 rout over No. 11 seed Creighton on Monday, Canada deserved the double standing ovation.

The point guard had a game-high 21 points, eight assists, six rebounds and five steals as UCLA (26-7) advanced to the Sweet 16 for the third straight year. The Bruins, ranked ninth in the country, will face No. 2 seed Texas on Friday at 6 p.m. in Kansas City, Mo.

“Just what we’ve built here, why I came here and the things that we’ve accomplished, it just all came back to me walking off the court,” Canada said of her final walk to the bench. “Just being able to get a win in my last home game here ever is a great feeling. It’s something that I can’t describe, but it’s just awesome.”

The seniors who had already helped lead UCLA to its first-ever back-to-back Sweet 16s are now returning. They have another chance at history in Kansas City, where the Bruins can reach their first Elite Eight since 1999, equaling the school’s best-ever run in the NCAA Tournament.

“A lot of people come with big dreams and they don’t happen,” UCLA head coach Cori Close said. “(The seniors) came to set a new standard of consistent excellence for UCLA women’s basketball, and (they did) exactly what they set out to do.”

Billings had 15 points and nine rebounds, and guard Japreece Dean added 16 points, 12 of which came on 4-of-7 shooting from 3-point range. Forward Kennedy Burke had 11 points and Lajahna Drummer added 10 in a total team effort that overwhelmed a Creighton team that had only two players make more than two field goals.

After Creighton (19-13) hit a 3-pointer on its opening possession, the Bruins went on a 13-0 run and shot 57.6 percent from the field in the first half. UCLA led by no less than 17 points in the second half, and the Bruins led by many as 28 as they dominated on both ends of the court.

UCLA forced 18 turnovers, tying a season high for Creighton, scoring 29 points off the miscues.

Fellow No. 3 seed Ohio State lost to Central Michigan on Monday, and Florida State also ended up on the wrong side of a No. 3-No. 11 matchup, falling to Buffalo on Monday. The fourth third seed, Tennessee, lost to No. 6 Oregon State on Sunday in the Vols’ first-ever home loss in the NCAA Tournament.

When they took the court Monday, the Bruins were aware of the upsets that preceded their game.

“We just thought, ‘That’s not going to be us,” Canada said.

While other regions fell into disarray, UCLA’s Kansas City bracket has all four top seeds in the Sweet 16. No. 1 seed Mississippi State will play No. 4 Stanford on Friday, with the winner facing either UCLA or Texas on Sunday for a spot in the Final Four in Columbus, Ohio.

Thuc Nhi Nguyen has covered UCLA for the Southern California News Group since 2016. A proud Seattle native, she majored in journalism and mathematics at the University of Washington. She likes graphs, animated GIFs and superheroes.